OT: Which lighting to Use?

[PirateFish52]

I am upgrading my tank currently from a 55 to a 75.

I have a 4x54w T5 setup currently on the 55.

I bought a MH setup for the 75. 2X175w Hamilton 15k bulbs.

Any thoughts on pros/cons for T5 v. MH when combining the two?

I am going to utilize a canopy, so I was planning on putting in both light fixtures. Do I really need to, or is this overkill?

Will the MH setup be enough to help thrive, not just keep, corals like SPS and LPS?

Shimmer effect- will it go away with having a T5 along with the MH, since the MH supposedly gives a shimmer effect.

Colors of corals- will having both bring out a better color in the corals, or is this overkill and it won't make a difference?

Mainly, I want to have great coral growth, coloring that pops out on all the corals, and lastly a nice shimmer effect.

Also, Par question.. will the extra T5's make that much of a difference in Par value to justify running an extra 4 T5 bulbs?

Thanks.

 

[PirateFish52]

The new corals I really want to eventually keep are: Monti's, Acros, bubble, frogspawn, torch, a clam, and maybe an anenome and a brain coral.

 

[Jeff Trout]

I think that the combo will work great!I dont if you really need all that but
1.you should have to worry about not having enough light!
2.lights will help alot with color but its also depends on the tank
3.the MH will not lose that shimmer with adding the t5's

 

[PirateFish52]

bump.

Where are all the "alleged" fraggers out there who know anything and everything about lighting?

Would like more than one opinion.

Help a brother out.

 

[DiscoReefRover]

use them both it will work well !!! I run 2 halides and 4 t5s on my tank it work trust me !!! Come see for yourself ....

Sean

 

[serpentman]

It really depends on what you intend to keep. Your MH should be enough to keep most SPS. Personally, I would run them both.

 

[slapshot16]

Are you worried about too much heat in the canopy?

 

[Burgman]

Hi,

I have a 75 gal. tank with 2 -175W MH's & 2 - 110W VHO's. I have pretty good growth rate and moderate coloration with my corals. Some people would put 2 - 250W MH on a 75 gal. and that's OK, but with my setup & the air conditioning in the Summer I still have a minor heat problem(84 deg. max.). I would probably have to use a chiller if I wanted to go 2 - 250W MH bulbs. Something to consider for the Summer months.

Dave

 

[bosworth]

Pirate,

I have (2) 250W HQI 14K Phoenix on a PFO Ballast& (2) 75W VHO Super Actinic over my main display 70G 36"x24"x18" & (1) 250W HQI 14K Phoenix on a PFO Ballast and (4) 24" T5 HO on a Icecap 660 over my frag tank that is 20"x30"x13" 34G.

I think its important that you pick the right MH bulb from a color stand point, because they will more than likely over power the T5's. You may want to consider just running super actinic in the T5's and use the MH for grow out. I prefer 14K bulbs for the blue color and the "pop" and I'm very happy with the growth rates.

As far as heat goes, I only need to use a fan over my sump in the summer along with the air conditiong in the house. However, my sump is in my basement and it does stay a bit cooler down there with 160G total system volume.

 

[PirateFish52]

Do you think I might run into a possible melting situation with the MH, since the T5 fixture is made of plastic and will be about an inch away from the outer edge of the curved MH reflector?

Also, can I just mount the MH directly to the wood canopy, or do I need something heat resistant to prevent a possible fire.

 

[PirateFish52]

I am plan on running super actinics in the T5's, and no daylight bulbs at all.

 

[bosworth]

If your going to keep everything under a hood close together I would suggest that you install a couple of fans in the canopy to remove the heat. If you have fans installed that run while the MH's are on you should be able to mount tthe plastic fixture 1" away w/o melting it. The air movement should keep the plastic well below its melting point. I would suggest hanging the fixture from the canopy from a chain or using a piece of aluminum between the fixture and the canopy.

 

[PirateFish52]

Where can I get a piece of aluminum at? Does Home Depot carry it?

 

[bosworth]

Yes HD or Lowes. You can use either a hack saw to cut it or a Jig saw with a metal blade on it. Its very soft metal so you should have no problem drilling or cutting it. I would suggest using a piece of box aluminum 1/2" x 1/2" so there is an air space to help cool the aluminum.